Wheeled toy



De. 20, 1949 F. G. HANBACK 2,492,040

WHEELED TOY Filed July 19, 1946 2 SheetsSheet 1 1949 F. ca. HANBACK 2,492,,fi4

WHEELED TOY Filed July 19, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 20,..1949

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEELED TOY Frank G. Hanback, Alleghany N. Y.

filpplication July 19, 1946, Serial No; 684,898

4 Claims.

The invention relates to a novel wheeled toy simulating a living or mythical egg-laying creature, for example, a. duck, a chicken or an Easter rabbit. and it is my principal object to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive, yet an entert'aining and durable toy of this nature which will mysteriously discharge egg simulations while it is being moved along a floor or other supporting surface.

A further object is to make novel provision whereby the rear end of the body will gradually rise as the moment of laying the egg approaches. and will quickly descend when said moir'ient arrives; and whereby these body movements cause quick rearward expulsion of the egg along the floor or the like.

A further object is to provide novel means whereby the toy creates some appropriate voice sound while being moved along the floor or the like. This means includes a vibratory reed, and astill further aim is to provide a novel and advantageous means for initially adjusting and then securing this reed.

Another object is to make novel provision for adding weight to the rear end of the toy, preventing it from tipping forwardly and aiding in the above mentioned quick descent of said rear end incident to egg expulsion.

Yet another aim is to provide a novel closure for the egg magazine of the toy, said closure simulating a hat and being provided with means for frictionally holding it against accidental removal.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view, partiy in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an inner side elevation of the left section of the body.

Fig. 3 is an inner side elevation of the right section of the body.

Fig- 4 is a perspective view, partly in section,

showing the supporting wheel and the soundmaking means actuated thereby.

A preferred construction has been illustrated and'will be rather'specifically described, with the posed of'aleft section'- 5 (Figs. land 2) and a right section. 5" (-Fig. 3'), said sections having fiat innet sides 6 and 6 which abut each other at a vertical plane extending centrally and longitudinally' oi the body.- The two sections may be secured together in any desired manner, for example; by means of suitable cement and dowel pins iii-the like I (Fig. 1)

The lower front portions of the body sections 5 and 5" are formed with communicating recesses 8 ands which open through the lower edges 9 and 9 of said sections, and concentric with the peripheral walls of said recesses, the body sections are formed with appropriate bearings 10 and it). These bearings receivetrun'nion's l l on a supporting wheel [2 to rollupon a floor or other supporting surface indicated bythe line I 3 in Fig. 1. Toward the rear ends of the body sections, the lower edges of these sections are formed with int'e'gral downwardly projecting lugs l4 and M to slide upon. the supporting surface I 3.

The body sections 5 and 5' are further providedwith communicating vertical recesses l5 and 95' which jointly form a cylindrical vertical magazine. The lower end of this magazine communicates with the upper portion of the recess 8, 8", and" the upper end of said magazine opens through: the upper extremity of the body. A combined closureand' hat simulation is here provided, said simulation having a brim [6, a crown ill, and a plug t8 projecting downwardly from said brim for reception in theupper end of the magazine. This plug I8 is formed with a peripheral groove P9 in which any appropriate ring or the like 2% is seated for frictionally holding the plug in the upper end of the magazine; preventing the "hat from being accidentally knocked oii. The magazine is intended to contain a plurality of egg simul'ati'ons 2i which are preferably of spherical shape, and the'whe'el I2 is formed with a peripheral pocket 22 to receive said simulations one at a" time and discharge them as hereinafter explaifi'ed.

Behind the recess 8, 8', thebody' sections 5 and 5" are further recessed at 23 and 23 to provide a longitudinal channel which opens through the lower edges of said sections. The front end of this channel communicates with the recess 8, 8', and the rear end of said channel is open at the rear lower portion of the body. As the wheel [2 rotatesduri'ng travelof the toy along the supportingsurface I3, the pocket'zireceives the egg simul'ati'ons one at a time; from the magazine and deposits them into the front endof the channel 23, 23", for rearward discharge. The portions 2t and 24" of thebodysect-ions Send 5", forming the top of the channel 23, 23 are slightly declined rearwardly and the proportions of parts are such that while the front end of the channel is equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of any of the egg simulations 2!, the depth of the rear end of said channel, with respect to the supporting surface i3, is considerably less than the diameter of any of said egg simulations. Thus, as the toy advances along the surface I3 and a simulation 2| is received in the front end of the channel 23, 23', as soon as this simulation contacts with the channel top 24, 23', said simulation will be rolled along the surface l3, thus upwardly tilting the entire rear end of the body and also forming an additional rolling support for the rear portion of said body. As soon as the rolling simulation and the rear extremity of the channel top, reach such a relation that the corner 25 is slightly in advance of a vertical transverse plane through the axis of the rolling simulation, the rear end of the body will descend by gravity, thus quickly ejecting said egg simulation and causing it to roll rearwardly on the surface l3.

To aid in the above described descent of the rear end of the body, and to prevent forward over-balancing of said body when the magazine is filled with egg simulations, I prefer to provide a weight 26 in the rear end of said body, the two body sections and 5' being formed with communicating recesses 21 and 21' which jointly hold said weight.

In connection with the construction above described, I prefer to employ a sound-making device suitable for the represented creature, for example, the quack of a duck when the toy simulates the latter. In the present disclosure, a reed 28 is provided for this purpose, and one side of the wheel i2 is equipped with projecting tappets 255 to alternately tension and release said reed. The free end of the reed is of course disposed at the side of the wheel carrying the tappets 29, and the mounting of said reed is such that it will not be injured whether the toy be moved forwardly or rearwardly. In the present disclosure, both sections '5 and 5' of the body are recessed at 323 and 30, behind the recess 8, 8 and above the channel 23, 23'; the section 5 is formed with a slot 3i through which the reed 28 extends, and the mounting means for said reed is received in the recess 30. In the present showing, this mounting means includes upper and lower horizontally elongated lugs 32 and 33 integral with the section 5, and the rear end of the reed is formed with transverse corrugations 34 which frictionally engage the adjacent sides of said lugs. This permits endwise adjustment of the reed 28 before finally anchoring it and thus facilitates imitation of the desired sound. After final adjustment of the reed, it may be anchored by cement or the like and it is preferable to then fasten a side plate 35 to the lugs 32 and 33 to overcome any possibility of edgewise displacement of said reed. It is not necessary that cement be used since the frictional engagement of the transverse corrugations 34 of the resilient reed 28 against the opposed surfaces of the lugs 32, 33, as shown in Fig. 4 may be made sufiicient to hold the reed against endwise movement as reed is operated by the tappets. The plate 35 prevents any lateral or sidewise movement of the reed and it completes a sound box formed by it, the lugs 33 and a portion of the body so that by shifting the reed lengthwise it is possible to vary the volume and the tones or p tch of the sounds produced by the vibrating reed. For 11-.

4 lustrative purposes, I have shown small screws 36 (Fig. l) securing the plate 35 to the lugs 32 and 33, but said plate could well be attached in any other suitable way.

To aid in producing the voice representation, the lower side of the lug 32 is preferably formed with a downwardly open recess 31 toward its front end, and it is preferable to forwardly decline the upper side of the lug 33 at its front end, as shown at 38. This permits downward flexing of the reed, preventing injury thereto should the toy be moved rearwardly, as will be clear from Fig. 4. During normal forward movement of the toy, the tappets 29 alternately spring the reed upwardly and release it, thus vibrating said reed to produce the desired sound.

At 39 I have illustrated an eye (Fig. 1) for the attachment of a pull cord. This eye may be formed from a piece of wire with its ends crossed, and the body sections 5, 5' may be recessed as shown at 40 and 40' to hold the crossed ends. However, an eye or the like could of course be attached in any other desired way.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for attaining the desired ends, and while preferences have been illustrated, attention is again invited to the possibility of making variations within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim: Q

1. A wheeled toy comprising a body simulating a creature, said body having a wheel-receiving recess which opens through its lower side, a magazine-forming recess having a lower end communicating with said wheel-receiving recess and an upper end opening through the outer side of said body, and a channnel extending rearwardly from said wheel-receiving recess, said channel opening through the lower side of and through the rear end of said body; egg simulations in said magazine-forming recess, and a body-supporting wheel mounted in said wheel-receiving recess and projecting downwardly therefrom for contact with a supporting surface, said wheel having a pocket for receiving an egg simulation from said magazine-forming recess and conveying said egg simulation to the front end of said channel for rearward discharge from said channel, the top of said channel having an inclined portion to coact with a rearwardly discharging egg simulation in said channel to cause vertical movement of the rear end of said body.

2. A wheeled toy comprising a body simulating a creature, said body having a wheel-receiving recess which opens through its lower side, a magazine-forming recess having a lower end communicating with said wheel-receiving recess and an upper end opening through the outer side of said body, and a channel extending rearwardly from said wheel-receiving recess, said channel opening through the lower side of and through the rear end of said body; egg simulations in said magazine-forming recess, and a body-supporting wheel mounted in said wheel-receiving recess and projecting downwardly therefrom for contact with a supporting surface, said wheel having a pocket for receiving an egg simulation from said wardly declined to cause the rolling simulation to lift the rear end of said body, whereby said rear end of said body will again descend before the rear end of said channel completely clears said rolling simulation, causing rapid rearward expulsion of said simulation from said channel.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1; said body being constructed from two sections secured together at a central plane extending longitudinally of said body, substantially half of said wheel-receiving recess, substantially half of said magazine-forming recess and substantially half of said channel being formed in each of said sections, the rear portions of said sections having communicating pockets, and a, weight held jointly by said pockets.

4. A structure as specified in claim 2; said body being constructed from two sections secured together at a central plane extending longitudinally of said body, substantially half of said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 716,175 Behn Dec. 16, 1902 737,514 Sollmann et a1 Aug. 25, 1903 1,265,718 Ahern May 14, 1918 2,237,329 Bischof Apr. 8, 1941 2,256,340 Gora et al Sept. 16, 1941 2,361,196 Gumb Oct. 24, 1944 

